Sheet delivery mechanism having an auxiliary pile support



Nov. 15, 1966 R. E. LINDEMANN SHEET DELIVERY MECHANISM HAVING ANAUXILIARY FILE SUPPORT Filed Oct. 14, 1964 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTORROBERT E, L/NDEMANN 4- A T TORNE YS BY Q/JZW QWZ NOV. 1966 R. E.LINDEMANN SHEET DELIVERY MECHANISM HAVING AN AUXILIARY FILE SUPPORT 2Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Oct. 14, 1964 MPH INVENTOR ROBERT E. LINDA-MANN BYMM @M'J W W ATTORNEYS United States Patent of Delaware Filed (Bet. 14,1964, Ser. No. 403,735 15 Claims. (Cl. 271-68) The present inventionrelates to a continuous sheet delivery mechanism having a sheet deliveryconveyor which is operable to drop sheets from a position over adelivery hoist onto a pile-supporting platform on the delivery hoist toform a pile thereon, and wherein an auxiliary pile support is moved intoposition above the pile on the delivery hoist to catch sheets when thepile on the delivery hoist is removed therefrom.

Known continuous sheet delivery mechanisms include a main sheet pilesupport on which sheets are piled and an auxiliary pile support movableinto position to receive sheets and support a pile thereon when the pileof sheets on the main hoist is removed from the delivery mechanism. Thepile which builds up on the auxiliary pile support is then transferredto the main pile support which is moved into position under theauxiliary pile support after the pile of sheets has been removedtherefrom. This transfer is effected by removing the auxiliary pilesupport and allowing the pile thereon to drop onto the main pile supportthereunder.

The principal object of the present invention is the provision of a newand improved, simple delivery mechanism wherein the auxiliary pilesupport may be readily moved into its pile supporting position, thetransfer of the pile from the auxiliary pile support to the main pilesupport is effected with a minimum of disarrangement thereof, and thepile on the auxiliary pile support may build to a relatively greatheight so as to permit the delivery mechanism to operate at relativelyhigh speeds while the pile is being removed from the main pile supportand without requiring rushing of the removal of the pile from the mainpile support.

A further object of the present invention is the provision of a new andimproved, simplified delivery mechanism having an auxiliary pile supportmovable into a first position above a main pile hoist and at a firstdistance from a delivery conveyor to receive sheets dropped from thedelivery conveyor and hand-operated means effective to lower theauxiliary pile support to a second position above the main pile hoist ata second distance from the delivery conveyor to receive sheets droppedfrom the delivery conveyor and removable from the second position to aretracted position to transfer the sheets thereon to the main pile hoistthereunder.

Another object of the present invention is the proyision of a new andimproved sheet delivery mechanism, as noted in the next precedingparagraph, wherein support means is provided for supporting theauxiliary pile support in its first and second positions, and whereinthe support means comprises rails located on opposite sides of theauxiliary pile support, which rails are movable between first and secondpositions corresponding with the first and second positions of theauxiliary pile support.

A still further object of the present invention is the provision of anew and improved sheet delivery mechanism having an auxiliary pilesupport movable between two vertically spaced positions and jogger meansfor arranging sheets deposited onto the support into a square pile andwherein the upper position of the auxiliary pile support is between thevertical extremities of the jogger means and the jogger means andauxiliary support are associated to enable positioning of the auxiliarysupport ice in its upper position from a location outside the joggermeans.

Still another object of the present invention is the provision of a newand improved sheet delivery mechanism having a two-position auxiliarypile support which may be located at two different positions atdifferent distances from the delivery conveyor and is movable betweenthe two positions by hand-operated means, and wherein joggers areconstructed and associated with the auxiliary pile support so as to jogthe sheets delivered to the auxiliary pile support in both positions ofthe auxiliary pile support.

Further objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparentto those skilled in the art to which it relates from the followingdetailed description of the preferred embodiment thereof made withreference to the accompanying drawings forming a part of thisspecification and in which:

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary side elevational view of a delivery mechanismembodying the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary side elevational view, with parts broken away,of a portion of the delivery mechanism of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary perspective view of a portion of the deliverymechanism in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view of a portion of the delivery mechanism ofFIG. 3, taken approximately along the section line 44 of FIG. 3, butwith parts in a different position from that shown in FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a sectional view similar to FIG. 4 showing the parts inanother operative position; and

FIGS. 6, 7, and 8 are schematic side elevational views illustratingdifferent operative positions of the delivery mechanism shown in FIG. 1.

The present invention provides an improved delivery mechanism 10 fordelivering sheets from a processing machine, such as a printing press,and piling the sheets. The delivery mechanism includes a suitable frame11 for supporting the operating structures for handling the sheets beingdelivered by the mechanism. The delivery mechanism 10 also includes achain conveyor 12 having a plurality of sheet grippers 13 supportedthereon which grip the sheets and deliver the sheets to a releaseposition over a pile-supporting hoist 14. Suitable mechanism is providedat the release position for engaging the grippers to release a sheetcarried thereby and a sheet released by the grippers 13 drops onto asupport platform or skid 15 supported on the hoist 14.

The delivery hoist 14 includes a pair of elongated spaced flange members20 supported on a hoist member 21 which rides in a portion 22 of theframe 11. The flange members 20 engage and support the skid 15, theupper surface 15a of which receives the sheets and constitutes thesheet-supporting surface thereof. The delivery hoist 14 is lowered byoperation of a suitable motor which turns a pair of sprockets 25 locatedon opposite sides of the delivery mechanism 10 and around each of whicha chain 26 is trained and which is secured to the support member 21.Upon movement of the sprocket, the chain 26 will either effect raisingor lowering movement of the member 21 depending upon the direction ofmovement thereof and thereby raise or lower the skid 15. A suitabledetecting means for detecting the height of the pile may be provided forcontrolling the lowering of the hoist so that the top of the pilethereon stays at approximately the same level. Since these controls andmechanisms are well known in the art, they are not shown and will not bedescribed in detail herein.

The delivery mechanism 10 also includes suitable pile squaring or joggermeans which engage the edge of the sheets and align the sheets in thepile as they drop onto the skid 15. The jogger means comprises aplurality of rear jogger plates 30 and a plurality of side jogger plates31 located on opposite sides of the pile. The jogger plates 30, 31 areconnected in a well-known manner to a suitable mechanism for moving thejogger plates inwardly and outwardly in a manner to engage the sideedges of the sheets to jog and align the sheets with the other sheets inthe pile. The jogger plates are also adjustable inwardly and outwardlyof the pile in order to handle sheets of different dimensions.

The delivery mechanism also includes a suitable front gate 30a whichcomprises a plurality of finger members extending vertically along thefront edge of the pile of sheets. The front gate 30a is pivotallysupported in the frame of the machine and may be pivoted from avertically extending position, shown in FIG. 1, to a retracted positionwhere sheets may be removed from the pile for inspection purposes. Thefront gate 30a when in its vertically extending position functions as afront stop again which the joggers align the sheets. The sheets as theybuild up on the delivery mechanism or the delivery hoist 14 and,specifically, on the skid supported thereby form a pile which increasesin height and which is removed from the delivery mechanism afterreaching the desired height. To remove the pile from the delivery hoist14, the delivery hoist is lowered to the floor level and the pile isremoved therefrom and a new skid is positioned on the hoist and raisedinto pile-receiving position.

The delivery mechanism 10 is a so-called continuous delivery mechanismin that the conveyor 12 continuously delivers sheets from the processingmachine, such as the printing press, to the delivery hoist 14 for pilingthereon and is constructed so as to provide for catching or piling ofthe sheets delivered by the conveyor 12 during removal of the pile fromthe delivery hoist 14. The delivery mechanism 10 specifically includesan auxiliary pile supporting platen 35 which is movable into a positionabove the pile hoist 14 to intercept or catch sheets being dropped fromthe conveyor 12, while the main pile hoist 14 is lowered and the pilethereon is removed therefrom.

The platen 35, best shown in FIG. 3, comprises a plurality of tinemembers 36 which are suitably secured at one end to a base member 37 bymeans of suitable bolt and nut connecting means 38 and extendperpendicular thereto. The tine members 36 may be completely removedfrom the base member 37 or positioned thereon at different locationsthereof, depending upon the size of the sheets being handled. The platen35 also includes side support members 39, 39a which are connected to thebase member 37 at the opposite ends thereof and extend substantiallyparallel to the tine members 36. The side support members 39, 39a eachcarry a small pin member 3% at the end thereof opposite the endconnected to the base member 37, for a purpose to be describedhereinbelow. The platen 35 receives sheets as they are being deliveredthereto and a pile forms thereon while the main pile hoist 14 is beinglowered for the removal of the previously formed pile therefrom. Themain pile hoist 14 with a skid 15 thereon is then moved vertically intoposition under the platen 35 and the platen 35 is then removed from itsposition over the pile hoist 14, and the pile which has been formedthereon drops onto the skid 15 on the pile hoist 14- positionedtherebeneath. The sheets which are then delivered by the conveyor 12drop onto the pile which is now on the skid 15 and the operation isrepeated when a pile builds up thereon.

In accordance with the presentinvention, the platen 35, when moved intoa pile-supporting position to receive the sheets delivered by theconveyor 12, is located a relatively short distance from the deliveryconveyor 12 so as to facilitate positioning thereof in position toreceive sheets with a minimum sheet drop thereon. The platen 35 afterbeing positioned over the delivery hoist 14 and relatively close to thedelivery conveyor 12, may be lowered in order to permit a temporary pileof some substantial height to build up thereon. This also enables thedelivery mechanism 10 to operate at a high speed without rushing theremoval of the pile from the main hoist 14. Moreover, the distancethrough which the temporary pile on the platen drops when the platen 35is withdrawn is relatively short, thereby minimizing disarrangementthereof.

The platen 35 is supported in a pile-receiving position above the mainhoist 14 by a support means comprising a pair of rail guide tracks 41,42 located on opposite sides of the delivery mechanism 10 and whichextend parallel or substantially parallel to the delivery conveyor 12and side support members 39, 39a of the platen 35. The rails 41, 42extend the length of the pile and receive the side support members 39,39a of the platen 35 to support the platen in pile-supporting position.The ends of the rails 41, 42 project beyond the rear jogger plates andare interconnected by a rail or channel member 43 which extendstherebetween. The channel member 43 has a time supporting surface 43afor supporting the ends of the tine members 36 opposite the endsconnected to the base member 37. From the above description, it shouldbe readily apparent that the platen may be moved into its pilereceivingposition by manually inserting the side members 39, 39a onto the members41, 42, respectively, and pushing the platen 35 so as to cause the endsof the tines 36 to be supported on the upper supporting surface 43a ofthe channel member 43. The forward tip 4312, see FIG. 2, of the channelmember 43 is bent downwardly so as to facilitate the positioning of theends of the tine on the supporting surface 43a of the channel 43.

The rails 41 and 42 are supported for vertical movement relative to theconveyor 12 and relative to the delivery hoist 14 between two positions,in one of which the rails 41, 42 are located relatively close to theconveyor 12 for insertion of the platen 35 thereon and in the second ofwhich the rails are located a greater distance from the conveyor 12 andin which position a pile of some height vmay be built up on the platenand from which the platen is removed for dropping of the temporary pileonto the main pile hoist. The rails 41, 42 are rnoved vertically by asuitable hand-operated linkage arrangement. The rail 41 is supported bylinkage 45 at one end and by a linkage 46 at the other end thereof.Likewise, the rail 42 is supported by a linkage 47 at one end thereofand by a linkage 48 at the other end thereof. The linkages 45, 46 aresimilar in construction to the linkages 47, 48, respectively, and inview of the similarities, only the linkages 45, 46 will be described indetail, it being understood that the linkages 47, 48, respectively, aresimilar thereto and simllar parts thereof are given similar referencenumbers.

The linkage 45 supports the forward end of the rail 41 and includes ablock member 50 to which the forward end 41a of the rail 41 is secured.The block member 50 has a hook portion 51 thereon projecting forwardlyof the block 50, for a purpose to be described hereinbelow. The blockmember 56 is pivotally connected to one leg of a U-shaped link member 53by means of a pin 54. The end 41a of the rail 41 is supported on theblock member 50 at a position above the pin 54 and above the leg 52 ofthe U-shaped member 53. The other leg 55 of the U- shaped link member 53is pivotally connected by means of a pin 56 to a link member 57 which isfixedly carried by a shaft 60 rotatably supported by the frame 11 of thedelivery mechanism. I

The block member 50 which forms a portion of the linkage mechanism 45has a pin member 62 extending laterally therefrom and extending througha slot 63 in a guide plate 64 which extends vertically and is connectedwith a channel or support member 65 which extends along the side of thedelivery mechanism 10. The pin member 62 cooperates with the guide plate64 and specifically the surfaces thereof defining the slot 63 therein inorder to guide the vertical movement of the block 50 and thereby guidethe vertical movement of the rail 41.

The linkage means 46 which supports the rear end 4112 of the rail 41 forvertical movement includes a block member 70 secured to the rear portion41b of the rail member 41. The block member 70 is pivotally secured bymeans of a pin 71 to a link member 72 similar in construction to thelink member 53. The U-shaped link member 72 has projecting arm members73 and 74 defining an opening therebetween. The end of the arm 73 ispivotally connected by means of a pin 75 to a link member 76 which isfixedly secured on the shaft 60 at a location spaced from the locationat which the link 57 is secured tothe shaft 60. From the abovedescription, it should be readily apparent that upon rotation of theshaft 60, the links 57 and 76 will be rotated therewith causing the pinmembers 56 and 75, respectively, connected therewith to be moved aroundthe axis of the shaft 60. The pivoting movement of the links 56 and 75,respectively, effects movement of the link members 53 and 72 and due tothe pivotal connection of the link members 53 and 72 to the link members57 and 76, respectively, on the one hand, and to the block members 50and 70, respectively, on the other hand, the rail member 41 will bemoved vertically.

' The shaft 60 is drivingly connected to a similar shaft 80 located onthe side of the delivery mechanism opposite the side on which the shaft60 is located and i operatively connected to effect actuation of thelinkage mechanisms 47, 48 upon rotation thereof in a manner similar tothat described hereinabove in connection with the linkage mechanisms 45,46. The shaft 60 carries a bevel pinion gear 81 which meshes with abevel pinion gear 82 which is fixedly secured on a shaft 83 whichextends transverse of the conveyor 12 and carries a bevel pinion gear 84on the end thereof opposite the end carrying the bevel pinion gear 82.The bevel pinion gear 84 meshes with a bevel pinion gear 85 carried onthe shaft 80. It can, therefore, be seen that upon rotation of theshaf-t'60, through the bevel pinion gears and shaft 83, the shaft 80 isrotated therewith. Thus, upon rotation of the shaft 60 to effect raisingor lowering movement of the rail 41, the rail 42 will likewise be raisedor lowered therewith.

The rail members 41 and 42 may be raised and lowered between theirrespective extreme positions by manually effecting rotation of the shaft60. A hand lever 90 is secured on the end of the shaft 60 by means of ahub 91, which is secured to the shaft 66 and to which the handle 90 isconnected. It can be seen that the linkage mechanism for raising andlowering therails 41, 42 is therefore hand-operated.

From the above description, it can be seen that the rails 41, 42 movevertically. As shown in FIG. 3, the rails are located in their lowerposition and movement of the handle 90 in a counterclockwise direction,as viewed in FIG. 3, effects rotation of the shafts 60 and 80 in thedirection of the arrows shown in FIG. 3. Rotation of the shafts 60 and80 in the direction of the arrows shown in FIG. 3 will eifect raisingmovement of the rails 41 and 42 through the linkage mechanisms describedhereinabove. The movement of the shafts is sufficient to cause the links57 and 76 and the corresponding links for the linkage mechanisms 47 and48 tomove to a position over the center of the shafts 60, 80,respectively, as best shown in FIG. 4. The movement of the links 57 and76 over the center of the shaft 60 causes the links to, in effect, belocked in their raised position in a manner so that they will not fallupon release of the handle 90 by the operator, and will not fall due tothe weight of the pile of sheets supported on the platen 35. Movement ofthe handle so as to effect rotation of the shafts 60, 80 in the reversedirection, of course, causes the linkages to lower the rails and platento the position shown in FIG. 5.

In accordance with the present invention, the actuation of the handle 90effects raising movement of the rails 41 and 42 to a position relativelyclose to the delivery conveyor 12, in which position the platen 35 isinserted onto the rails 41 and 42 and in position to receive sheetsreleased from the delivery conveyor 12. In this position, the railmembers are above the lowermost projecting portion of the rear joggermembers and side jogger members 30 and 31, respectively, so that thesheets delivered onto the platen 35 may be jogged thereby. The rearjogger members 30 are provided with a plurality of slots therein throughwhich the tines 36 of the platen 35 project, as shown in FIG. 3. Thelowering of the platen 35 effects lowering movement of the tines 36 inthe slots 95 in the jogger member 30 to the position shown in FIG. 5.The tine members are circular in cross section and when in theirlowermost position, as shown in FIG. 5, the lower end of the joggermembers 30 lie on an extension of a horizontally extending diagonal ofthe tine members 36. Thus, the upper surface of the tine members 36which support the sheets is above the end of the jogger plates 30, whilethe lower surface of the tine members is beneath the end of the joggerplates 30. From this position, the platen 35 is removed by sliding theplaten manually from the rails 41, 42. The platen when slid from therails 41 and 42 tends to drag the pile of sheets thereon with it. Thefront gate means 30a, however, engages the pile of sheets and holds thepile of sheets from movement with the platen 35. As the platen 35 isbeing removed from its position supporting the pile of sheets above thedelivery hoist 14, the pile thereon drops onto the skid supportedadjacent thereunder, as best shown in FIG. 5. The distance that the piledrops is equal to the diameter of the tine members and is specificallyshown in FIG. 5 and designated X. It can be seen, therefore, that thisdistance is maintained at a minimum due to the fact that the platen 35has been moved to its 'loWer position adjacent to the skids supported onthe delivery hoist 14. When the platen 35 has been :fully removed fromits position over the delivery hoist 14, the pin members 3% on the sidesupport rods 39, 39a and engage in the hook members 51 on the blockmember 50 and the vp'laten 35 hangs from the hook members in this mannerin a retracted position, as shown in FIG. 1, until it is again to beused.

Reference to the schematic FIGS. 6, 7, and 8 will illustrate theoperation of the delivery mechanism 10 and the advantages the r-of. InFIG. 6, the delivery mechanism 10 is shown delivering sheets S to a skid15 on the delivery hoist 14. Of course, as the pile builds up thereon,the hoist 14 is incrementally lowered until a complete pile is formedthereon. When a complete pile is formed thereon and it is desired toremove the pile from the hoist 14, the platen 35 is inserted intoposition for receiving sheets delivered by the conveyor 12. Prior to theinsertion of the platen 35 into position for receiving the sheets fromthe conveyor 12, the rails 41 and 42 are moved to their high position,as shown in FIG. 7, in order to be relatively closely adjacent to theconveyor 12 when the platen 35 is inserted into position over thedelivery hoist 14.

The platen 35 then receives the sheets and a pile begins to build upthereon. As the pile builds up thereon, the handle 90 may be moved toits posit-ion shown in full lines in FIG. 3, thereby moving the rails 41and 42 to their lowered position so that the pile of sheets on theplaten 35 may become relatively high. This enables the removal of thepile of sheets from the main hoist 14 without any.

hush. As shown in FIG. 8, the main hoist 14 is then returned to aposition beneath the platen 35, and the platen 35 is removed from therails 41 and 42 to its retracted position and the pile P supported bythe platen 35 is now dropped onto the skid supported on the hoist 14.

While the description hereinabove has described the use of the platen 35as one which permits the removal of the pile from the main hoist 14, itshould be apparent to those skilled in the art that the platen 35 may beused for supporting sheets when the main hoist is lowered for otherreasons, such as, for example, in racking. In racking, the main h-oistis lowered so that a separator sheet or board maybe placed above thepile on the skid 15 and the main hoist is then raised to receive sheetson top of the separator sheet. This results in the formation ofindividual piles of sheets supported on the main hoist.

From the above description, it should be readily apparent thatapplication has provided a new and improved delivery mechanism and it isto be understood that certain modifications, changes, and adaptationsmay be made therein by those skilled in the art to which it relates, andit is hereby intended to cover all such modifications, changes, andadaptations which come within the scope of the appended claims.

Having described my invention, I claim:

1. A sheet delivery mechanism comprising a main pile hoist forsupporting a pile of sheets thereon, means [for raising and loweringsaid main pile hoist, a sheet delivery conveyor cfor moving sheets to aposition over said main pile hoist land at which the sheets are releasedby said delivery conveyor and dropped onto said main pile hoist, anauxiliary pile support movable to a 'location above said main pile hoistto receive sheets dropped. fnom said delivery conveyor, support meansfor receiving and supporting said auxiliary pile support in a firstposition above said main pile hoist at a first distance from saidconveyor and in a second position above said main pile hoist at a seconddistance fnom said conveyor greater than said first distance and formovement between said positions, manually operated means to verticallymove said support means between first and second positions only so as tomove said auxiliary pile support between its first and second positionsonly, and said auxiliary pile support having support portions insertableinto supporting relation with said support means when said support meansis in its first position and removable from said support means when saidsupport means is in its second position to transfer the pile on saidauxiliary pile support to the main hoist thereunder and including pilereceiving portions.

2. A sheet delivery mechanism comprising a main pile hoist forsupporting a pile of sheets thereon, means for raising and lowering saidmain pile hoist, a sheet delivery conveyor .for moving sheets to aposition over said main pile hoist and at which the sheets are releasedby said delivery conveyor and drop onto said main pile hoist, anauxiliary pile support movable to a location above said main pile hoistto receive sheets dropped from said delivery conveyor, support railsfior supporting said auxiliary pile support in la first position abovesaid main pile hoist at a fir'st distance from said conveyor and at asecond position above said main pile hoist at a second distance fromsaid conveyor greater than said first distance, manually operated meansto vertically movesaid support rails between first and second positionsonly so as to move said auxiliary pile support between its first andsecond positions only, and said auxiliary pile support having supportportion-s insertab le onto said support rails when said support railsare in their first position to support said auxiliary support inposition to receive sheets dropped from said delivery conveyor andremovable from said support rails when said support nails are in theirsecond position to transfer the pile on said auxiliary pile support tothe main hoist thereunder.

3. A sheet delivery mechanism comprising a main pile hoist forsupporting a pile of sheets there-on, means fior raising and loweringsaid main pile hoist, a sheet delivery conveyor for moving sheets to .aposition over said main pile hoist at which the sheets are released bysaid delivery conveyor and drop onto said main pile hoist, an auxiliarypile support movable to a location above said main pile hoist to receivesheets dropped from said delivery conveyor, support rails for supportingsaid auxiliary pile support in :a first position above said main pilehoist at a first distance fnom said conveyor and at :a second positionabove said main pile hoist at a second distance from said conveyor andfor movement between said positions, manually operated linkage meansoperatively connected with said support rails f! vertically m g said PPrailsbetw-een first and second positions only so as to move saidauxiliary pile support between its said first and second positions, andsaid auxiliary pile support having suppont portions inserta'ble ontorails when in their first position and removable from said rails when intheir second position.

4. A sheet delivery mechanism as defined in claim 3 wherein said linkagemeans includes link members pivotally connected to the opposite ends ofsaid support rails.

5. A sheet delivery mechanism as defined in claim 3 wherein said linkagemeans comprises first link members each having one end thereof pivotallyconnected to one end or" said rails, a shaft member extending adjacentsaid nails, second link members pivotally connected to said first linkmembers and fixed to said adjacent shaift memher and rotatable with saidsha'tt member to effect movement of said first link members and raisingmovement of said support rails upon rotation of said shaft.

6. A sheet delivery mechanism as defined in claim 5 wherein each of saidfirst link members are substantially U-shaped and have leg portionsextending outwardly from a base port-ion thereof with one leg portionbeing pivotai- 1y connected to its associated support rail and the otherleg portion being pivotally connected to its corresponding second link,said leg members defining a space therebetween through which saidauxiliary pile support portions are movable for insertion on said railsand removal from said rails.

7. A sheet delivery mechanism as defined in claim 5 wherein said secondlink members extend downwardly from said shaft when said support railsare in their second position and are rotatable to a position extendingupwardly when said support rails are in said first position, said shaftmeans being rotatable a sufiicient amount to move said pivotalconnection between said first and second links beyond the center of saidshaft, when said support nails are in their said first position so as toprevent lowering of the link members under the weight of the sheets onsaid auxiliary support.

8. A sheet delivery mechanism comprising a main pile hoist forsupporting a pile of sheets thereon, means for raising and lowering saidmain pile hoist, a sheet delivery conveyor for moving sheets to aposition over said main pile hoist and at which the sheets are releasedby said delivery conveyor and drop onto said main pile hoist, joggermeans below said conveyor and extending vertically for jogging thesheets delivered to said main pile hoist, an auxiliary pile supportmovable to a location above said main pile hoist to receive sheetsdropped from said delivery conveyor, means for supporting said auxiliarypile support in a first position above said main pile hoist at a firstdistance from said conveyor and between the vertical extremities of saidjogger means and at a second position above said main pile hoist at asecond distance from said conveyor and for movement between saidpositions, said auxiliary support including pile receiving portionscooperable with said jogger means to provide for movement of saidauxiliary support onto said support means and into its first positionfrom a location remote therefrom.

9. A sheet delivery mechanism comprising a main pile hoist forsupporting a pile of sheets thereon, means for raising and lowering saidmain pile hoist, a sheet delivery conveyor for moving sheets to aposition over said main pile hoist and at which the sheets are releasedby said delivery conveyor and drop onto said main pile hoist, joggermeans located below said conveyor and extending vertically for arrangingsheets located adjacent thereto into a square pile, an auxiliary pilesupport movable to a location above said main pile hoist and having asheet supporting surface to receive sheets dropped from said deliveryconveyor, support means for supporting said auxiliary pile support in afirst position above said main pile hoist at a first distance from saidconveyor and intermediate the vertical extremities of said jogger meansand at a second position above said main pile hoist at a second distancefrom said conveyor and for movement between said positions, meansoperatively connected with said support means to vertically move saidsupport means between first and second positions so as to move saidauxiliary pile support between its said first and second positions, saidauxiliary pile being insertable onto said support means when saidsupport means is in its first position and having portions co-operablewith said jogger means to provide for movement of said auxiliary supportonto said support means and into its first position from a locationremote therefrom.

10. A sheet delivery mechanism as defined in claim 9 wherein said joggermeans and said portions of said auxiliary pile support have aninterdigitated relation when said auxiliary pile support is in its firstposition.

11. A sheet delivery mechanism as defined in claim 9 wherein said meansfor moving said support means is manually operated.

12. A sheet delivery mechanism as defined in claim 9 wherein said joggerplate means has a lower edge extending below the sheet supportingsurface of said auxiliary pile support when said auxiliary pile supportis in its second position and terminating above said main pile supportwhen in its position immediately under said auxiliary pile support.

13. A sheet delivery mechanism as defined in claim 9 wherein saidauxiliary pile support comprises a plurality of time members extendingbeyond said jogger plates when in its first and second positions andsaid jogger plates have vertically extending slots therein through whichsaid tines extend when said auxiliary pile support is in its first andsecond positions and in which said tines are movable when said auxiliarypile support is moved between its said positions.

14. A sheet delivery mechanism as defined in claim 13 wherein said tinemembers have a sheet supporting surface located above the lower edge ofsaid jogger plate means when in said second position with the lowermostsurface of the tine members extending beneath the lowermost edge of thejogger plate means.

15. In a continuous pile delivery, a main pile hoist including ahorizontal platform and means for moving said platform between an uppersheet-receiving position and a lower pile-discharging position; a sheetconveyor traveling horizontally over and above said platform when it isin its upper position and said conveyor being adapted to deposit sheetssingly on the platform in sequence; pile squaring means below saidconveyor and extending vertically above said platform when in its upperposition for arranging deposited sheets into a square pile havingvertically aligned edges; an auxiliary pile hoist including a platenhorizontally insertable above said platform, support means for saidplaten, and means for moving the support means and the platen between alower piledepositing position closely adjacent to the top of saidplatform when the platform is in its upper position and an uppersheet-receiving position spaced above the lower position of the platen;said upper position of said platen being between the upper and lowerportions of the vertical pile squaring means; and said platen and saidpile squaring means being constructed to enable horizontal insertion ofthe platen from a location outside the pile squaring means when thesupport means is in its upper position and to enable said moving meansto move said support and said platen from its upper to its lowerposition, and being further constructed to enable said platen means tobe withdrawn horizontally when in its lower position to deposit a pilesupported on said platen onto said platform with a minimum of drop ofsaid pile.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,205,767 6/1940Lamb 271-88 2,738,973 3/1956 Koch 27l89 2,884,246 4/1959 Kile et al 271-89 X 2,988,236 6/1961 Shields 27l89 X 2,997,298 8/ 1961 Elliott et a127l89 X M. HENSON WOOD, JR., Primary Examiner.

ALLEN N. KNOWLES, Examiner.

1. A SHEET DELIVERY MECHANISM COMPRISING A MAIN PILE HOIST FORSUPPORTING A PILE OF SHEETS THEREON, MEANS FOR RAISING AND LOWERING SAIDMAING POLE HOIST, A SHEET DELIVERY CONVEYOR FOR MOVING SHEETS TO APOSITION OVER SAID MAIN PILE HOIST AND AT WHICH THE SHEETS ARE RELEASEDBY SAID DELIVERY CONVEYOR AND DROPPED ONTO SAID MAIN PILE HOIST, ANAUXILIARY PILE SUPPORT MOVABLE TO A LOCATION ABOVE SAID MAIN PILE HOISTTO RECEIVE SHEETS DROPPED FROM SAID DELIVERY CONVEYOR, SUPPORT MEANS FORRECEIVING AND SUPPORTING SAID AUXILIARY PILE SUPPORT IN A FIRST POSITIONABOVE SAID MAIN PILE HOIST AT A FIRST DISTANCE FROM SAID CONVEYOR AND INA SECOND POSITON ABOVE SAID MAIN PILE HOIST AT A SECOND DISTANCE FROMSAID CONVEYOR GREATER THAN SAID FIRST DISTANCE AND FOR MOVEMENT BETWEENSAID POSITIONS, MANUALLY OPERATED MEANS TO VERTICALLY MOVE SAID SUPPORTMOVE BETWEEN FIRST AND SECOND POSITIONS ONLY SO AS TO MOVE SAISAUXILIARY PILE SUPPORT BETWEEN ITS FIRST AND SECOND POSITIONS ONLY, ANDSAID AUXILIARY PILE SUPPORT HAVING SUPPORT PORTIONS INSERTABLE INTOSUPPORTING RELATION WITH SAID SUPPORT MEANS WHEN SAID SUPPORT MEANS ISIN ITS FIRST POSITION AND REMOVABLE FROM SAID SUPPORT MEANS WHEN SAIDSUPPORT MEANS IS IN ITS SECOND POSITION TO TRANSFER THE PILE ON SAIDAUXILIARY PILE SUPPORT TO THE MAIN HOIST THEREUNDER AND INCLUDING PILERECEIVING PORTIONS.